Sudan state media report 'failed' coup attempt

KHARTOUM, Sept. 21 : An attempted coup in Sudan "failed" early Tuesday, state media reported, without identifying the plotters.

"There has been a failed coup attempt, the people should confront it," state media reported, without elaborating.

A top government source told AFP the plotters had attempted to take over the state media building but "they failed".

A senior military source said a group of officers "were involved in the attempt but were immediately suspended."

Traffic appeared to be flowing smoothly in central Khartoum on Tuesday, including around army headquarters, where months of mass protests prompted the ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir in a palace coup two years ago.

Sudanese security forces did however close the main bridge across the Nile connecting Khartoum to its twin city Omdurman.

Sudan is currently ruled by a transitional government composed of both civilian and military representatives that was installed in the aftermath of Bashir's April 2019 overthrow and is tasked with overseeing a return to full civilian rule.

Deep political divisions and chronic economic problems inherited from the Bashir regime have overshadowed the fragile transition.

In recent months, the government has undertaken a series of tough economic reforms to qualify for debt relief from the International Monetary Fund.

The steps, which included slashing subsidies and a managed float of the Sudanese pound, were seen by many Sudanese as too harsh. Sporadic protests have broken out against the IMF-backed reforms and the rising cost of living.